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Welcome to the first in a new series beginning here on the blog called 5 Questions with... This will be an ongoing series of "interviews" with people I admire in the world. From traditional artists to bloggers, writers, actors and creatives of all types. This series was originally planned for the podcast, but since I have moved on from that, I'm excited to bring it to you here, because I really think you'll enjoy it. So let's get crackin!

Photo Courtesy of Miranda at SpookyLittleHalloween.com

My first guest is Miranda from the delightful blog www.spookylittlehalloween.com who celebrates all-things-Halloween all year long. I first found Miranda on Instagram (@spookylittlehalloween) and have been happily following her Halloween shenanigans for a couple of years now. So let's find out a little more about Miranda...

1. Writing is clearly only one of your many talents, but what motivates you as an artist?

There are a lot of things that motivate me, but I think what it all boils down to is sharing something I love with other people who love it too. I’m an old millennial, but I’m part of this first generation who has learned to share their passions online. I kind of have this sense of childlike wonder about it, but I think it is SO cool we have the ability to connect with people all over the world who share a love for anything, whether it books, music or Halloween through the Internet.

Photo Courtesy of SpookyLittleHalloween.com

2. You so obviously love what you do. What is your favorite part of the process?I love being in the thick of the creation process. I am in my happy place when I have my Halloween tunes going, I’ve decorated a corner of the Spooky Little Apartment for the backdrop of a blog post and I’m making things happen, whether it’s making a recipe or writing about my favorite Halloween Instagrammers. It automatically makes me feel like it’s Halloween season even if it’s January and I’ve got months to go until October.

I also enjoy brainstorming. I carry my blog notebook with me everywhere I go so I can jot down ideas as I think of them. I think the most fun part of running a year-round Halloween blog is seeing how ingrained in the rest of the year I can get. Nothing makes me happier than, for example, wondering if there’s a Halloween workout playlist (there wasn’t so I made one) or what kind of Halloween school supplies is out there (lots if you know where to look!).

3. We share not only a love of Halloween, but also of writing, literature and music. Your Halloween beginnings and love of the holiday are scarily similar to my own! But what was it that made you decide to do a year-round Halloween blog after previously writing a music blog?

I had fun writing my music blog, but it didn’t excite me. I didn’t rush home from my full-time job every day to work on it. I totally do that now!

Spooky Little Halloween was started on a total whim and was the culmination of a lot of moments that pointed me towards a Halloween blog. About two years before I started it, I became obsessed with building the perfect Halloween playlist for the music blog, but my readers’ reaction was underwhelming. They weren’t obsessed with Halloween like me, and that was okay. I’d also been hosting my annual party for five years, and I kept thinking it would be fun to have a creative outlet to explore party themes and share my own parties since I was getting more serious about them.

The real-life moment that made me pull the trigger, though, was one night when I was organizing my Halloween board on Pinterest. I had hundreds of pins and was trying to sort them by topic – recipes, costume, parties. When I got to the point of having 12 separate boards just for Halloween I realized I had a problem…and that I was probably crazy enough to start a Halloween blog. Three weeks after that moment, I launched Spooky Little Halloween and never looked back.

Photo Courtesy of SpookyLittleHalloween.com

4. Having recently passed 10,000 followers on Instagram (congratulations!) What are your plans for SpookyLittleHalloween? Do you have any big goals for the future?Thank you! I am still baffled by that number – 10,000 is a LOT of people! Halloween season is just around the corner, and I will be reopening my Killer Halloween Party e-course where I teach my students how to plan an amazing Halloween party by following just a few simple guidelines. I’m also teaching my course in person at Halloween & HauntFest Show in Dallas Aug. 18-19 which I’m excited about.

My Halloween season will include a lot of the same features my readers have come to love – my Halloween card exchange will be back, and I’ll be doing my 31 Days of Halloween emails again where I send one way to celebrate Halloween every day in October. And, of course, there will be some other surprises in there too!

I’m also hoping to release at least one Halloween party guide in time for Halloween. More of those will be coming in 2019, and I’m also hoping to start offering a print version of my quarterly Halloween zine next year.
5. The Halloween/Horror community is crazily welcoming and supportive, has there been a specific incident that most surprised you after embarking on this journey?There have been so many things that have shocked and surprised me along this journey, but my favorite has to be the moment I realized this exact thing – how welcoming and supportive the Halloween and horror community is towards everyone.

When I was writing the music blog, I felt like I was in a rat race competing with a ton of people for the title of cool. That will discourage you and burn you out faster than anything. I have never once felt that with the online Halloween/horror community. Everyone is just unbelievably cool and kind and cheers everyone else on. It is truly incredible, and I’m honored to be a tiny part of that.

Photo Courtesy of SpookyLittleHalloween.com

Extra credit bonus question!
Being the introvert that I am, I am insanely inspired by your Instagram Stories, and how you are so natural, confident and engaging in front of the camera. How the bloody hell do you do it??You just jump in and go for it! It gets easier, and no matter how stellar your brand is…people are always going to connect with other people better than a product. I think there is a LOT of value in showing your followers the person behind the account.

Growing up I was totally that girl who hated having to give presentations. I’d get up in front of the class and shake like a leaf because I’d have so much anxiety about not being perfect. I’d listen to my voice quiver as I spoke, and on the inside, I’d be SO mad at myself for feeling nervous. I’ve also been plagued by my fair share of self-esteem issues over the years which led to me getting hung up on things like how I looked or how I said certain things. I was always SO worried about being judged unfairly or not being understood.

But then I had a therapist who asked me, “So what?” and those two words changed my life. She challenged me to think about the worst-case scenario in situations where my anxiety got the better of me, and bit by bit I realized it wasn’t going to be the end of the world if I didn’t do things perfectly on the first try.

If I’m honest, I still feel like I’m terrible on camera. I rush through what I’m saying. I forget to breathe (esp. in person!). I say “um” a lot. I’m naturally soft spoken, and being “live” takes a LOT out of this fellow introvert. But…I also get a little better every time I do it, and it genuinely feels like I’m hanging out with my friends when I go live. And if I don’t get it perfect or someone judges me…what’s the worst that will actually happen? I stumble and show I’m human or I lose a couple followers – I can live with both of those things. 😃